Farron calls for action after research shows young rural driver drivers most at risk

Cumbrian MP Tim Farron has called for targeted action to help young drivers in the countryside, after new research shows rural drivers are more likely to be killed or injured than urban drivers.

Tim Farron has called for action after new research conducted by Road Safety Analysis shows that young drivers in the countryside are over a third more likely to be killed or injured than those in urban areas, with young car drivers facing the highest risks. This means that in rural areas like Hawkshead, around one in 82 young drivers will be involved in an accident whereas in more urban areas like Kendal the number drops to around one in 130.

Tim has welcomed the research, which finally puts numbers to what has been suspected for years and reveals the importance of solid training for young rural drivers. The combination of more dangerous roads and more time spent driving seems to lead to higher risks of collision, especially for newly qualified young people not used to driving on more demanding roads.

Commenting, Tim said "Now that this research shows how much greater the risk is for our young people, we need to do something about it. Driving is absolutely essential for many of our young people living in the countryside and we need to make it as safe as possible for them. Better training to be able to cope with more demanding rural roads is crucial, but we also need to make those roads less dangerous.

We need to improve roads like the A590 urgently, and I am glad that the road minister has agreed to come to Cumbria to see it for himself. But it doesn't stop there, and that's why I will be calling on the government to target young rural drivers specifically."